CoWoS could also hold interesting opportunities for Apple, as it’s an advanced chip packaging tech that can efficiently link graphics processors, memory, and CPU together. There may be some implications as Apple is expected to move to 2nm chips (made by TSMC, designed by Apple’s silicon teams, and based on Arm reference designs) in 2025.
TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei referenced this a little earlier in the year, telling Nikkei, “AI is so hot that all my customers want to put AI into their devices.” As history shows, Apple has now accomplished precisely that and Nvidia uses CoWoS chip packaging tech in its own high-performance graphics processors.
What the partners say
Speculation aside, this is what Amkor and TSMC had to say in a statement announcing the agreement: “Amkor is proud to collaborate with TSMC to provide seamless integration of silicon manufacturing and packaging processes through an efficient turnkey advanced packaging and test business model in the United States,” said Giel Rutten, Amkor’s president and CEO. “This expanded partnership underscores our commitment to driving innovation and advancing semiconductor technology while ensuring resilient supply chains.”